For individuals, L&D, and talent teams

Ready for what, under which conditions?

Useful evidence gives a person a next step and gives an organization a clearer basis for assigning responsibility. It also makes the unknowns visible.

One record, two useful conversations

In an illustrative rollout exercise, a participant notices that a successful pilot omitted an important customer group. They recommend a restricted release and explain the support it would need.

For the person: “You checked who the evidence covered. Next, practice explaining your recommendation to a sponsor who wants a full launch.”

For the organization: “We observed attention to pilot coverage in this task. Negotiation with the sponsor and consistent performance across other situations remain unobserved.”

Both accounts use the same observation. Neither needs a general thinking score.

Keep observation and interpretation separate

Record what the person did and said, the information available, the help provided, and the outcome. Then explain what you think the record supports.

A good outcome can follow weak reasoning; a poor outcome can follow a defensible choice under uncertainty. Examine both the process and the result. Invite the person to correct omissions and explain context.

Use the right evidence for the question

A well-designed written test can assess more than recall. NBME's item-writing guidance explicitly includes application and critical thinking. The relevant question is whether the task supports the claim you want to make.

Work samples, explanations, simulations, observations, and performance records offer different views. Completion records answer a narrower question. One observation rarely justifies a broad claim about a person's capability.

Make the limits part of the record

  • Responsibility: Which task, job requirement, or initiative does the evidence concern?
  • Conditions: What constraints, information, and support were present?
  • Observation: What behavior and reasoning were captured?
  • Interpretation: What conclusion is supported, and what else could explain the record?
  • Next evidence: What needs to be observed again or in another setting?

Not observed does not mean incapable. A person may never have had the relevant opportunity.

Try the launch decision to see what a short exercise reveals and what it leaves unanswered.

Start with the concepts

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Working definition

Evidence of thinking

A record of the work, the reasoning, and the conditions, useful for feedback and careful readiness judgments.

Working definition

Observable indicators

Describe a behavior, the situation that makes it relevant, and what the observation does not establish.

Begin with the responsibility, then design the evidence

A job title is too broad. Name the task, the conditions, and the support available. Decide what you would need to see before building an assessment.

Build an evidence plan

Writing on this

Bring a real problem

What does your learning need to change?

A role people are struggling with. A decision that keeps going wrong. A capability you need to see before giving someone more responsibility. Start there.

Talk with Mike

Find an idea in the writing

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AI-generated guidance based on the writing here. Each question is answered independently. Questions and responses are stored to help identify gaps in the writing; do not enter confidential or personal employee information.